Man pumps 5 bullets into wife as kids watch

A Tsholotsho man pumped five bullets into his wife, shouting "I'm done with you dog". The woman miraculously survived the barrage of bullets and is fighting for her life at the United Bulawayo Hospitals (UBH) while the man is on the run.

Ludo Dumani, 34, had an undisclosed domestic problem with her husband Austin Tshuma, 40, that forced her to seek refuge at her parents' home in Mangarame area under Chief Gampu in Bulilima District, recently.

Dumani fled together with her children aged 10, 13 and 15.

On Wednesday at around 11PM, Tshuma followed her and found her sleeping in the same room with her three children and mother, Zale Moyo, 64.

He destroyed the door and attacked his wife.

Dumani tried to hide under the bed, but Tshuma threw it away and then shot her once on the left thigh, three times on the left arm and once on the left side of the neck.

He fled from the crime scene, leaving his wife for dead.

The area's village head, Marudo Ndlovu, confirmed the shooting.

He said a shaken Moyo arrived at his homestead on Wednesday night to report that her daughter had been shot.

Ndlovu said he quickly rushed to Moyo's homestead and found Dumani lying on the floor unconscious. Her three children were wailing over her body.

"I quickly called a neighbour who has a car and we ferried Dumani to Ntoli Clinic and she was then referred to Plumtree Hospital. When I arrived at the homestead Tshuma had already fled and he was nowhere to be seen," said Ndlovu.

Dumani's mother said her daughter arrived at her home from Tsholotsho where she is married and complained that she and her husband were always quarrelling.

Moyo said her daughter did not disclose the cause of the quarrels; she simply said she and her husband were having marital problems.

"My daughter arrived at my place together with her three children and she told me that her husband had been threatening to kill her. She insisted on staying with me until the matter was resolved," said Moyo.

She said on the day her son-in-law attacked her daughter he first banged on their kitchen door.

She said she went out to investigate but found no one.

"We were awoken by the sound of someone banging against the kitchen door in a violent manner. The person went on to bang on our bedroom door a few minutes later and we tried to find out who it was but there was no response," said Moyo.

She said when the bedroom door was knocked down she saw her son- in-law standing there holding a pistol and a torch.Moyo, who described the incident as a terrible ordeal for her and her family, said she tried to stop him from harming her daughter but he pushed her to the ground.

She said Tshuma charged at her daughter who tried to hide under a bed, but her fuming son in law threw off the bed.

She said Tshuma shot his wife five times right before her and the three children and then fled from the scene.

"I think that Tshuma thought that he had killed my daughter because after shooting at her he turned around and said 'sengiqedile ngawe nja' (I am done with you dog)", said Moyo.

She said she stood for a while starring at her daughter who was lying still on the floor confused as what step to take.

Moyo said that she finally gained sufficient courage to seek help for her daughter whom she said was now hospitalised at the United Bulawayo Hospitals .

She said the incident had left her grandchildren terrified and shaken. Police in Matabeleland South said they were yet to receive a report of the incident.